A graphical user interface (sometimes also referred to as the desktop) is an interactive space that can be considered a hub for human-to-machine interactions. Typically, the graphical user interface on modern computing devices allows for multitasking, e.g., by offering interactions with multiple applications and functions provided to the user, e.g., through multiple windows being concurrently displayed to the user.
The user is able to navigate in this graphical user interface by using one or more input peripherals of a computing device, e.g., a keyboard, specially designated keys of the computing device, pointing devices (e.g., pens or a computer mouse), or a touchpad, which are sometimes to be used in concert. Those input peripherals typically allow the user to select interactive elements on the graphical user interface (e.g., a window, button, menu elements, list elements, etc.) by first hovering over the element to be selected and then performing some predetermined operation, e.g., clicking or double-clicking the hovered element to initiate an action associated with the hovered element. It is desirable that the combination of operations to select and confirm an action is, on the one hand, intuitive and easy to use for the user, and on the other hand, designed such that errors and mistakes in the human-machine interaction can be avoided.
Many services in the Internet try to minimize the effort and the possibility of mistakes that users can make by simplifying their user interface and/or tailoring it to the users' specific needs. For example, in some user interfaces, a single click with a computer mouse can result in the quasi-autonomous initiation of a whole series of actions that are executed without allowing the user any control of the actions. Some users are actually suspicious of the short one-click actions that activate “hidden” processes the user cannot control or even recognize, although they might have agreed to this some time ago. Many users want to have a feeling of safety and transparency in their interaction with a computing device, especially when the device is used to access Internet services such as gaming platforms, online shops, social networks, etc.
Moreover, although a variety of different computing devices can be equipped with a variety of different input peripherals to allow for interaction with some graphical user interfaces, some of these devices may sometimes not provide the means to interact properly with a particular graphical user interface. Where possible, alternative means for performing necessary actions can be provided. For example, computing devices which do not allow for “clicking” on an interactive element of the user interface can provide for some other means for confirming actions. Hence, it may be desirable to allow the user of a computing device to trigger or confirm actions by other means than clicking a mouse button. Moreover, it appears further desirable to suggest a mechanism which allows the user to trigger server-based actions on a computing device which may not provide for conventional confirmation mechanisms, like “clicking” an interactive element by means of a mouse or keyboard.